Arrangement for drilling in mines



FIG-l July 7, 1970 p. I ...-LEIB EE TAL 3,519,091

ARRANGEMENT FOR DRILLING IN MINES k Filed Feb. 14, 1969 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG-4 FIG-7 Ill? FIG-3 FIG-5 INVENTORS DONALD L. LE/BEE BY SIEBERT s. OAKS United States Patent 3,519,091 ARRANGEMENT FOR DRILLING IN MINES Donald L. Leibee, Belfry, Ky., and Seibert S. Oaks, Everett, Pa., assignors to Kennametal Inc., Latrobe, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Filed Feb. 14, 1969, Ser. No. 799,399 Int. Cl. E2111 15/00, 17/00 US. Cl. 175--320 18 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The invention pertains to an arrangement for making up drill strings for drilling holes in mines such as for placing charges or for drilling holes in mine roofs and is particularly characterized in the use of hexagonal tubing for the sections of the drill string with coupling members frictionally joining the tubes when placed in end to end relation and with a chuck frictionally held in one end of the tubing to receive a drill and with a driver frictionally held in the other end of the tubing for connection of the tubing with a drive motor.

The present invention pertains to a driving arrangement for driving bits and drills for drilling holes in mines. Such arrangements heretofore have employed square or round tubing and when the motor and the bit or drill had to be extended, sections of the tubing were welded together or other-wise interconnected. The welding of the tubing is objectionable because of the possibility of explosion that exists in many mine locations.

With the foregoing in mind, the present invention proposes to form drill strings of this nature from hexagonal tubing and to interconnect the parts of the drill string by a friction arrangement which eliminates the necessity of doing any welding in the mine or of carrying out laborious other types of work operations to make such connections.

By utilizing hexagonal tubing, the maximum area is provided for the flow of air through the tubing to draw dust and fines away from the drilling region while, at the same time, a good driving connection between the various members of the drill string by the use of hexagonal couplers can be made. Furthermore, the hexagonal shape is near enough to a round configuration that split ring friction connectors can be employed to retain the parts of the drill string in assembled relation.

The nature of the present invention will be more clearly understood upon reference to the following detailed specification taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a somewhat schematic view showing a drilling operation being carried out;

FIG. 2 is an ele-vational view partly broken away showing one arrangement according to the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view indicated by line IIIIII on FIG. 2 and showing more in detail the frictional connection between the chuck shank and the drive tube in which it is mounted;

FIG. 4 shows another type friction element mounted on the shank of a chuck or the like;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the friction element of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 2 but showing the manner in which the drill string rod or tube can be extended by the use of a coupler and additional rod or tube; and

FIG. 7 is a perspective view partly broken away showing an adapter for coupling the drive motor to a drill.

Summary of the invention Ice driver at the motor end of the string with a drill or bit at the other end of the string. If greater lengths are needed two or more hexagonal tubes are placed in end to end relation. The driver at the motor end of the hexagonal tube, the coupler between adjacent sections or lengths of the tube, and the bit shank, or a chuck holding the bit, are all provided with hexagonal portions which telescope the hexagonal tube, preferably on the inside, while split friction rings carried by the driver and coupler and chuck retain the drill string in assembled relation.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION In FIG. 1 there is shown the operation of drilling holes in a mine roof. In this figure, numeral 10' represents a rotary motor, air operated, for example, and having a chuck 12 on the outer end in which is mounted a hollow rod or tube 14 terminating at its upper or outer end in a drill which is not shown.

A pressure conduit supplies compressed air for driving rotary motor 10, while conduit 22 is a suction conduit supplying suction to hollow rod or tube 14.

In FIG. 2 there is shown an arrangement wherein rod or tube 14, which is a hollow hexagonal member, receives an adapter member 24 at one end for connecting the tube to the chuck of the rotary motor while at its other end rod or tube 14 receives chuck 26 in which is mounted a drill of any suitable type such as the drill 28 illustrated in FIG. 2.

Chuck 26 has an hexagonal shank 30 having a relatively close fit within tube 14 and near the end of shank 30 is a groove 32 in which is mounted a split ring 34. Split ring 34 is relatively stiff and compresses when shank 30 is pushed into tube 14 and frictionally holds shank 30 and tube 14 in assembled relation.

The chuck 26 has a bore 36 extending from the shank end into the chuck and terminating in the lateral holes 38. Suction applied to bores 36 will draw at least the fines resulting from the drilling operation into the inside of the drilling arrangement so that it can be conducted away from the drilling region through suction conduit 22.

The drill end of chuck 26 has a socket 40 therein of any desired shape, square or elliptical, for example, for receiving the shank 42 of drill 28. Shank 42 is retained in socket 40 by any suitable means such as a pin 44.

The adapter 24 also has an hexagonal shank portion 46 receivable in tube 14 and which shank portion includes a groove 48 and a split ring 50 for frictionally retaining the shank in the tube. The exposed end of the adapter 24 has a square drive shank 51 thereon for engagement with a correspondingly shaped socket in chuck 12 of motor 10. Adapter 24 is provided with a central axial bore 53 through which suction is applied to the interior of tube 14 and therethrough to bore 36 in chuck 26.

FIG. 4 shows how the shank of adapter 24 or chuck 26 could be formed with an elongated groove 52 for receiving a band-like split ring 54, preferably concave inwardly in cross section. The split ring 54, similarly to split rings 34 and 50 previously referred to, will be compressed when the shank which it carries is forced into a tube and will thereby frictionally retain the shank in the tube.

FIG. 6 shows the manner in which the hexagonal tubes 14 can be connected in end to end relation to make up a drill rod as long as desired. In FIG. 6 a coupler member 56 is employed having shanks 58 extending therefrom in opposite directions and each shank having a groove 60 for receiving a split ring 62. Each split ring 62 could either be wire-like, as in the case of rings 34 and 50 of FIG. .2, or it could be band-like, as in the case of split ring 54 of FIGS. 4 and 5. The coupler is provided with a central axial bore 64 so that the passage for suction is continuous from the chuck end of the rod to the drive end thereof.

FIG. 7 shows a further type of adapter and which has a square shank 60 for being received in the chuck of the drive motor and having an hexagonal socket 62 in its other end of a size to receive therein hexagonal tube 14. Any suitable means such as split friction rings or some other detent mechanism, as indicated at 63, could be employed for holding the hexagonal tube in socket 62. The adapter of FIG. 7 and the adapter 24 of FIG. 2 perform the same function but the adapter of FIG. 7 provides a more free passage for the flow of air through the drill rod and is thus preferred in some cases.

It is intended to comprehend within the present invention modifications and adaptations falling within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a drilling tool, especially for mines; a rod-like member hexagonal in cross section and adapted at one end for receiving a driver operable for engagement with the chuck of a rotary drive motor and adapted for receiving a tool such as a drill or bit at the other end, said rod-like member being tubular with uniform wall thickness so as to have an hexagonal bore therethrough so that suction applied to the interior thereof at said one end will be transmitted therethrough to the other end.

2. A drill tool according to claim 1 which includes a chuck in said other end of said tubular member for supporting said tool, sai dchuck at one end having an hexagonal shank portion telescopically engaging said other end of said tubular member, said chuck at its other end having a portion telescopically engaging the shank of said tool, said chuck including passage means leading therethrough from its said other end to a region on the outer surface of the chuck near the said other end thereof whereby suction applied to said tubular member will draw drilling fines away from the drilling region and into said tubular member.

3. A drilling tool according to claim 1 in which said driver has an hexagonal portion at one end for telescopic engagement with said one end of said tubular member and a portion at the other end adapted for driving engagement with the chuck of said rotary motor.

4. A drilling tool according to claim 2 in which said shank portion of said chuck is received inside said tubular member, and a friction element on said shank portion of said chuck adapted for frictional engagement with the inner wall of said tubular member to hold said chuck and tubular member in assembled relation.

5. A drilling tool according to claim 4 in which said friction element is a split metallic ring and said chuck shank portion is formed with a groove in which said ring is mounted.

6. A drilling tool according to claim 5 in which said ring is formed of wire.

7. A drilling tool according to claim a in which said ring is formed of a ribbon-like strip and is concave in cross section toward the center of the ring.

8. A drilling tool according to claim 3 in which said hexagonal portion of said driver fits inside said tubular member, and a friction element on said hexagonal portion adapted for engagement with the inside of said tubular member to retain said driver and tubular member in as sembled relation.

9. A drilling tool according to claim 8 in which said friction element is a split metallic ring and said hexagonal portion of said driver is formed with a groove in which said ring is mounted.

10. A drilling tool according to claim 9 in which said ring is formed of wire.

11. A drilling tool according to claim 10 in which said ring is formed of a ribbon-like strip and is concave in cross section toward the center of the ring.

12. A drilling tool according to claim 1 in which. said tubular member is formed of at least two tubular elements in end to end relation, and a coupler member interconnecting said tubular elements, said coupler member having an hexagonal portion on each end telescopically engaging a respective tubular element and having an axial bore therethrough for the flow of air between said tubular elements.

13. A drilling tool according to claim 12 in which each said hexagonal portion of said coupler member fits inside the respective tubular element, and a friction element on each said hexagonal portion frictionally engaging the respective tubular element.

14. A drilling tool according to claim 13 in which each said friction element is in the form of a split metal ring and each said hexagonal portion is formed with a groove receiving the respective ring.

15. A drilling tool according to claim 14 in which each said ring is formed of wire.

16. A drilling tool according to claim 14 in which each said ring is formed of a ribbon-like strip and is concave in cross section toward the center of the ring.

17. A drilling tool according to claim 3 in which said hexagonal portion of said driver fits over the outside of said tubular member.

18. A drilling tool according to claim 17 which includes a split metallic ring in said driver for frictionally engaging the outside of said tubular member.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,757,906 8/1956 Ryd -320 3,138,216 6/1964 Heiskanen et al 175--320 3,187,825 6/1965 Bower 17532O FOREIGN PA ENTS 195,310 4/ 1959 Sweden. 206,517 2/1909 Germany.

JAMES A. LEPPINK, Primary Examiner 

